East Asian Studies
From Simmons Library Research Guides
We have selected these resources to help you find relevant information on your research topic. Please contact a librarian for help using the resources listed in this guide or for help with your research process.
Contents |
Reference and Background Information
Use the Simmons Eresource called [http://0-refuniv.odyssi.com.library.simmons.edu/ Reference Universe] to search for information about your topic in all of our Reference sources.
or, search for Reference sources that contain information about your specific research topic here:
You may also consult the resources below for overviews of the topic that you have chosen to research. Use these resources to help you to put your topic in context and give you the big picture of what information exists about your topic. These resources may have bibliographies at the end of each entry that can help further your research.
- Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy
Level 1 Reference B121.E53 2001
An excellent reference book that focuses on describing the multifaceted and historically significant role of Asian philosophy. Entires are listed alphabetically, vary in length, and explain with detail various concepts for a single subject. Helpful features this sources provides is a reference chart of Chinese dynasties, references and further readings, thematic entry list, and both a subject and name index.
- Encyclopedia of Modern Asia
Level 1 Reference DS4.L48 2002
An excellent reference source containing over 2,600 signed, alphabetically arranged entries. It contains information on many different areas of Asian life including: the arts, economics, history, language, culture, and science.
- East Asia and the United States: An Encyclopedia of Relations Since 1784
Level 1 Reference DS518.8.E22 2002
This two volumed reference book contains descriptive essays covering all the significant people, controversies, treaties, agreements, and alliances affecting the U.S. and East Asia relations over the past two centuries. Source includes a detailed chronology beginning with 1784 and concluding with year 2001, acronyms, several maps documenting historical events and borderland changes within East Asia, selected bibliography, and name and subject indexes.
- Cambridge Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives
Level 1 Reference DS334.9.C36 1989
The contents covered about each region within this reference source includes land, peoples, history to independence, politics, foreign relations, economics, religions, societies, and culture. Sections are detailed and contain maps, photos, and illustrations in both color and black and white; end pages include a large map of subjected locations.
- Dictionary of Asian Christianity
Level 1 Reference BR1065.D52 2001
A comprehensive source that serves as both a reference work and a study in Christian theological and historical method. Entires vary in length and contain bibliographies; text includes a list of entires, and several full page maps.
- Asia and the Pacific
Level 1 Reference DS5.A79 1991
This two volume reference source covers the great political and social changes that has occurred within the Asia-Pacific region in the last century. Content includes the countries of Asia and the Pacific, history, political affairs, economic affairs, and social affairs; entires are separated geographically and include maps of each region.
China
- The New Cambridge Handbook of Contemporary China
Level 1 Reference DS709.M24 2001
A one volume resource containing dates, statistics and other information concerning contemporary China.
- Cambridge Encyclopedia of China
Level 1 Reference DS705.C35 1991
A comprehensive reference source that documents aspects of Chinese civilization, both traditional and contemporary. An extensive list of the content covers an overview of land and resources, peoples, society, dynasties, archeology, history, culture, architecture, science and technology, and art. The detailed sections also include illustrations, pictures, graphics, maps, graphs, maps, and charts.
- Cultural Atlas of China
Level 1 Reference DS721.B56 1998
A book inlaid with beautiful art, colorful images, detailed tables, and elaborate maps, this reference source provides both textual and visual context to Chinese culture. The various sections include information on the land of China and the Chinese people, the natural environment, the Archaic World, the Imperial Age, the Modern Age, cultural symbols, and society.
- An Historical Atlas of China
Level 1 Reference G2306.S1.H4 1966
A reference source that moves the researcher through the history of China, using both detailed text entries and maps. These elaborate maps are full paged and beautifully colored, which illustrate historical changes throughout China, beginning with the prehistoric era and moving to Modern China.
- China: A Country Study
Level 1 Reference DS706 .C489 1988 and Free Online
One volume from a continuing series of books that focus on country studies, this reference source examines the political, economic, social, and cultural aspects of China.
- Chinese-English Dictionary
Level 1 Reference PL1455.H338 2002
A dictionary for native Chinese speakers, who are translating Chinese into English. Includes an introduction on pronunciation, abbreviations used within this source, index of syllables and radicals, and new and old forms of characters. Also, the back contains several useful and diverse appendixes that cover global information, and specific information about China.
Japan
- Japan Encyclopedia
Level 1 Reference DS821 .F73 2002
This is an encyclopedia of all of the ideas, people, events, history, economics, and objects that are important to Japan in both the past and the present. The definitions are extensive, but not too dense. Also included are an extensive bibliography and a detailed timeline.
- Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
Level 1 Reference DS805 .J263 1993
Everything that has been influential on Japan can be found in this massive encyclopedia, from World War II to Godzilla. There are colorful illustrations and photos as well as in-depth definitions and explanations. The appendices contain an atlas, a historical timeline, and an extensive bibliography.
- Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Japan
Level 1 Reference JQ1605 .S86 2003
Provides extensive definitions and brief biographies of the ideas and people that have helped shape Japanese politics over the years, all arranged alphabetically. The introduction contains an essay about the history of Japan and an outline of the different political theories that have shaped Japan. This is a very in-depth and useful source.
- Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan
Level 1 Reference DS805 .C36 1993
This full-color encyclopedia is both beautiful to look at and interesting to read. It is not organized alphabetically, like most encyclopedias are, but is instead organized by topics such as geography, history, and society, and then broken down into more specific categories such as the media. The text is interesting and informative and the photos and illustrations add a great deal of depth and value.
- Cultural Atlas of Japan
Level 1 Reference DS821 .C62 1988
This book provides a comprehensive history of Japan with detailed maps, and illustrations that help make the information more lively and accessible. This book will answer almost every question about Japanese culture and society.
- Japan: A Country Study
Level 1 Reference DS806 .J223 1992 and Free Online
Provides an examination of Japan from the beginning of its history up through the 90's. The information is very in-depth, and specific to cities and regions of Japan. This is your one-stop for answers to all of your Japan questions whether you're trying to learn about the economics behind trade policy or the methods used to teach preschoolers.
- The Modern Reader's Japanese-English Character Dictionary
Level 1 Reference PL679 .N4 1974
This dictionary is essential for those who are learning Japanese or who are trying to translate a character. Not only does the author translate characters, but he explains how and when to use them, and provides many hints for speaking and reading Japanese.
- Random House Japanese-English English-Japanese Dictionary
Level 1 Reference PL679 .N294 1995
Provides English translations of Japanese words (along with pronunciation and translation into characters) and Japanese translations of English vocabulary. This is a great dictionary for a student that is just beginning to study Japanese and English.
Vietnam
- Vietnam: A Country Study
Level 1 Reference DS556.3 .V54 1989 and Free Online
This volume in the area handbook series gives one of the most thorough and complete histories of Vietnam that can be found in print. Even though the data stops around 1987, this is still an important an extensive examination of Vietnam.
- Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War
Level 1 Reference DS557.7 .E53 1996
A one-volume encyclopedia of the issues and major figures of the Vietnam War. It also includes a detailed chronology of the war for easy reference.
- Historical Dictionary of Vietnam
Level 1 Reference DS556.25 .D85 1998
Every definition in this dictionary reveals detailed facts about the history of Vietnam. Looking up "agriculture" will inform the reader about how agriculture has shaped Vietnam since its beginnings, and the definition of "Ho Chi Minh City" discusses how that city has changed over Vietnam's history. This is an excellent source for gaining a good overview of Vietnam's history and culture.
- Hoà's Essential English-Vietnamese Dictionary
Level 1 Reference PL4376 .N34 1983
This easy to use dictionary contains over 16,000 entries of English translated into Chinese with examples of usage.
Finding Articles
Below are suggested databases and indexes for articles on the topic that you have chosen to research. These databases include articles from newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Articles are shorter and more narrowly focused than books or reference materials so you should use them after you have narrowed your topic.
- Bibliography of Asian Studies
Simmons Eresource
The on-line version of the Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS) contains over 545,000 records on all subjects (especially in the humanities and the social sciences) pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia. Various special projects have contributed substantial numbers of additional records to the database.In addition to using the powerful search function, users can browse by country-subject, or by journal title.The BAS is updated regularly, with batch posting of thousands of new entries in each upload.
- Academic Search Complete
Simmons Eresource
Academic Search Complete is a great place to start your search for both popular and scholarly articles, no matter what your topic is! It contains journals from almost every topic and is designed specifically for academic institutions. It provides more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, 4,400 of which are peer-reviewed journals. This resource also features content as far back as 1865.
- Academic Onefile
Simmons Eresource
Academic Onefile contains 8,000 academic journals, the majority in full-text, available in HTML and PDF formats. In addition it contains hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN, and the CBC.
- Expanded Academic ASAP
Simmons Eresource
From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images. Updated daily.
TIP: Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search!
- Humanities Fulltext
Simmons Eresource
A database of article citations on topics in the Humanities, some available full-text. Includes content from more than 300 key humanities publications, including feature articles, book reviews, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, original works of fiction (including dramas and poems), and reviews of plays, operas, ballets, dance, musicals, movies, and television and radio programs.
- JSTOR
Simmons Eresource
JSTOR offers both multidisciplinary and discipline-specific collections. Provides full-text backfiles of many core scholarly journals, some dating back to the 1800s. However, JSTOR is not the database for current issues as it focuses on older journals.
- Project MUSE
Simmons Eresource
Offers nearly 250 quality journal titles from 40 scholarly publishers. As one of the academic community's primary electronic periodicals resources, Project MUSE covers the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others. Project MUSE is setting the standard for scholarly electronic journals in the humanities and social science.
- Social Sciences Index
Simmons E-resource
A database of abstracts and full-text articles from several social science publications. Updated weekly.
Searching the Web
Tips for Searching the Internet:
- Use the advanced search function, which is available from most search engines:
- Google - See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Ask - Click "Advanced." See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Live (MSN) - See also "Options"
- Exalead - See also "Exalead FAQ"
- Yahoo! Search
- Limit your search to .edu and .gov sites. These often provide quality research, statistics, and commentary. Sites ending in .org often have good information, too, but are likely to espouse a strong stance or bias on the issues they cover and may not be objective.
- Try Scandoo, which presents search results from Google, Yahoo! Search, or Live (MSN) with an evaluation about the objectivity, credibility, and overall reliability of the site.
- Consider using a directory of pre-screened, annotated sites:
Writing Style and Citation
For more information on style and citation for this discipline, please contact the Simmons College Writing Center
You may also consider consulting these resources:
- Writing Resources
Free Online
The Writing Center provides online resources for citing your research. If you are unsure of which citation style to use, consult your professor and consider the following:- Use APA (American Psychological Association) when your topic is in the Social Sciences
- Use ASA (American Sociological Association) when your topic is in Sociology
- Use MLA (Modern Language Association) when your topic is in the Humanities
- Use Chicago/Turabian when your topic is in Literature, History or the Arts
- Use CSE (Council of Science Editors) when your topic is in the Sciences
- RefWorks
Simmons Eresource
RefWorks is a great program for organizing articles, books, and other materials you need for research. You can also use RefWorks to create bibliographies, create in text citations in your paper (Write-N-Cite), and share your research with others. Access RefWorks from the A-Z list of resources on the library's web page, and then follow the instructions to create your own username and password. We hold RefWorks Clinics throughout the semester. For more information, ask a reference librarian
